Officially, Hioki (25-4-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), a former Shooto and Sengoku champion, took home the win after three rounds with Roop at UFC 137. But many observers felt it could have gone either way.

Palaszewski is a member of the other way camp. Of his upcoming opponent, he’s smelling blood as he was for his previous one, Tyson Griffin, who struggled to make weight when they fought on the same card as Hioki and Roop.

Any sign of weakness, and Palaszewski starts getting excited. And knocking people out, apparently. Griffin went to sleep in less than three minutes, and “Bartimus” put an extra $75,000 in his pocket (nice, also, that Griffin questioned his ability to make weight beforehand).

There were no judges needed in that fight. That’s a good thing, if you hear Palaszewski’s assessment of scorecards for Hioki vs. Roop.

“He lost two out of three rounds,” Palaszewski said. “So I don’t know how they gave him a ‘W.’ I think Roop whooped him. I think Roop pressured him and he couldn’t handle it. They were saying (Hioki experienced) butterflies because of the big show, but I was like, uh, isn’t he a champ in previous promotions? Promotions that compete with the UFC, (and) promotions that are as big as the UFC.

“So I think he’s got a lot more hype behind him than skill.”

And what better opportunity could a veteran fighter receive in the fight business? Hioki was the apple of many hardcore eyes before he first stepped into the octagon. Some ranked him at the top of the featherweight ladder.

Please, says his opponent.

“He’s got zero standup,” Palaszewski continued. “I’ve seen him get dropped more than once, and if a [featherweight] can drop him, I know that if I connect with him, he’s going to go to sleep.

“You watch some of his Shooto fights, the only reason he didn’t get finished is because he got a standing-eight count. He got dropped, I think, four or five times in a fight. So, if some of the guys are connecting with him…if I connect with him, he’s going to sleep.”

But there’s the other side of the coin when it comes to Hioki’s skill set. Most would agree that it wasn’t his punches that beat Roop. It was his grappling, and that’s a serious threat for Palaszewski, as much as he scoffs at the hype around the Japanese fighter.

Well, that’s if Palaszewski buys into the idea that Hioki is a better grappler, and you know the answer to that question.

“A lot of people are forgetting that I’m a legit jiu-jitsu black belt,” he said. “Just because I don’t choose to grapple and submit guys, they think I’ve got no skill on the ground. I’ve fought way better than Hioki.”

Such as Marcio Feitosa, a highly decorated black belt under the Carlos Gracie Jr. Palaszewski narrowly outpointed him in the now-defunct IFL.

“I don’t think Hioki’s going to be able to take me down in the first place,” he said of preliminary-card fight, which takes place Feb. 25 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. “I don’t think he’s physically strong enough. He was having a hard time taking Roop down, and I think I’m going to be more physical than Roop. He didn’t even attempt ground and pound or shoot for a submission. So I think he’s highly overrated, and that’s it.”

That’s it, indeed. If there was any doubt about Hioki’s first impression, there isn’t now.

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